As it turns out, LeBron James’ high school athletic career was deeply affected by the sudden and tragic death of singer Aaliyah.
Sportswriter Brian Windhorst, who chronicled the 19-time NBA All-Star James’ high school career, discussed the connection between the two superstars in an article. debut on wednesday ESPN’s basketball-focused show “NBA Today.”
“(James) was going to quit the football team after his sophomore year at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, and then one of his favorite singers, Aaliyah, died in a plane crash,” Windhorst told Show host, Marika Andrews. “He decided not to live in fear anymore.”
Aaliyah died in a plane crash in the Bahamas on August 25, 2001 at the age of 22. The “Are You That Somebody” singer was returning from a video shoot in the Caribbean country when the accident, which also killed eight people, occurred.
James initially planned to give up football early in high school to preserve his body and energy for basketball, as he was already being heavily recruited by college and professional teams.
As a junior wide receiver, James caught 57 passes for 1,160 yards and 16 touchdowns for St. Vincent-St. Mary. He decided not to play the grueling sport during his senior year so he could focus on basketball.
The Akron-born NBA icon previously mentioned how Aaliyah’s death inspired him in Sports Illustrated’s famous “The Chosen One” interview.
In fact, (James) risked career-threatening injuries the past two years as an all-state wide receiver at St. Vincent-St. Marie football team. Initially (James’ mother) Gloria refused to let LeBron play last fall, but after 22-year-old singer Aaliyah died in a plane crash last August, Gloria convinced her to let LeBron play,” reporter Grant Grant Wahl wrote in 2002.
“‘You’re not promised tomorrow,’ LeBron said. “I have to go out there with my team. ” Even though LeBron did break the index finger on his left (non-shooting) hand, he helped lead the Irish to the state semifinals.”
The four-time NBA champion discussed his impressive football numbers and the fact that he is the top football prospect in Ohio in a post on Instagram.
“My friend @mister1223 just sent this to me from his son. His son said: “I didn’t know LeBron was the #1 ranked rookie in Ohio? “He said: “Yes, Brown is also very good in football. His son replied “That’s crazy!” “🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. My junior year at WR, I had 60 catches, 1,200 yards, and 16 touchdowns. 😱,” James captioned a photo of a newspaper clip highlighting his immortality Statistical data. ”
“I didn’t even play my senior year (which I wanted to play so badly) because my kids… wouldn’t let me play,” he continued. “They said if I tried to step onto a football field my senior year, they would jump (kick) me every day at practice until I had enough! I guess I made a smart decision!”